Improvement in car-couplings



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Carl Coupling. No. 52,962. Patented Ma`r.6,.l866.

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. Car Coupl'ng.

No. 52,962. s Patented Mar. 6, I1866.

C. C. BURNS, OF GREENSBURG, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-consumes.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 52,5%6Q, dated March 6,1866.

To all whom it mayconoem Be it known that I, COLUMBUS G. BURNS, otGreensburg, Decatur county, Indiana, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Railroad-Gar Couplings; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to that class of carcouplings in which the cars areautomatically connected by means ot a link which is held in position bya gravitating catch or pin; and my improvement relates to certaindevices for preventing` the accidental detachment of the link, and alsoto an arrangement whereby the cars can be uncoupled without endangeringthelife ofthe operator.

Figure' l is a perspective view of a car-coupling embodying myimprovements, a portion being broken away so as to exhibit theconstruction. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the same.

A and B represent two draw-heads, of any approved. form, which areattached to the cars by the draw-bars a and b, and each draw-head isprovided with a customary flaring mouth.

C andD are longitudinal throats or recesses, which contain the operatingparts, and said throats have cheeks A A and B B.

The cheeks Al A are provided with horizontal apertures E E and F F,while the cheeks B B have similar apertures G G 4 and H H.

The apertures E E' and H H afford journalbearings for the shaft I of aconnecting-link, J, and the shaft K of the gravitating-pin L journals inthe apertures F F and G Gr.

The apertures E and F of the draw-head A, and also those G and H of thedraw-head B, are provided with vertical slots e fand g Il', which enablethe link J or pin L to be inserted in either of the draw-heads, as maybe the most convenient or necessary.

N and 0 are projections placed midway of the mouth of the draw-heads,and each projection has `an exterior sloping face, N O, and two exteriorand inclinned faces, n a and o o, and between said faces a n and o o arepockets P and R, having shoulders p l", against which thegravitating-pin L abuts.

The interior ends of the recesses C and D are provided with verticalabutments S and T, and said abutments receive a greater portion of thestrain which is brought to bear upon the shaft I ot' the connecting-linkJ, and prevent said shaft from being sprung out of line.

U and V are sheetmetal or other suitable stops secured to the upperfaces of the abutments S and T, and said stops prevent thegravitating-pin L from making a complete revolution when itis forciblystruck by the connecting-link.

The shaft K has attached to it two small studs, k lo', which playagainst the inner face of the cheeks of the draw-heads, and thus preventthe accidental displacementof the shaft by any lateral motion. The studk', which is the most distant from the crank K, is in a line with thepin L, while the nearest stud, 7c, is placed at right angles to saidpin.

Wis a cord or chain attached to the crank K', by which the train can beuncoupled without the operator descending from the top of the car or theplatform. If desirable, a rod may be substituted for the cord or chain.

Operation: The link J being properly adj usted in one draw-head and thegravitatingpin L in the other one, which is the work of a few momentsonly, the coupling is ready for action. lVhen the draw-heads oftwoglcontiguous cars are brought in contact with one another the link Jrides up on the exterior sloping face, N, of the projection N andthrusts the gravitating-pin L aside, compelling it to describe a partailrevolution, as indicated by the red arrow in Fig. 2. As soon as thegravitating-pin L has revolved a sufficient distance to enable the linkJ to pass under the free end of it said pin L instant-ly drops'to itsoriginal position and, lodging against the shoulder l), prevents thelink from being accidentally withdrawn, and the cars are thus instantlyand securely coupled by their own momentum, and without endangering thelife or limb of the operator. The-cars being started and'the, tensionbeing brought to bear upon the link, said link now ascends the interiorfaces, n n', of the projection N and retains its position in the angleformed by said. faces and the pin L, thereby dividing the strain betweenthese two members of the coupling, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

Vhenever it is desired to uncouple the cars from the draw-head and theuncouplin g of thel cars is accomplished.

A person on the ground may uncouple the cars by means of the handleattached to the crank K.

It is immaterial which draw-head holds the link J, or which one containsthe gravitatingpin L, as the operation of coupling or uncoupling are thesame in either case, and the link or pin can be removed and inserted ineither of the draw-heads in the following manner:

To adjust the link J in the draw-head it is only necessary to hold it ina perpendicular posiy tion, as shown by red lines in Fig. 1; then placethe end ofthe shaft I in the aperture H',

' shove the link through the vertical slot h and insert the entering endof the shaft in the aperture H. The link being allowed to fall, it atonce assumes its proper position Within the draw-head, and it can beinstantly removed by simply reversing this operationthat is, byelevating it to a perpendicular position within the draw-head andforcing it out through the vertical slot It.

The shaft K, to which the gravitating-pin L is secured, is placed in thedraw-head by turning it until the pin L and the stud k assumes avertical position, so as to enable them to pass through the aperture Fand vertical slot f, and as soon as the pin L has moved beyond the innerface of the cheek A the shaft is rotated one-fourth of a revolutiontoward the abutment S, which brings the stud k to a vertical position,and allows it -also to pass through the slot f. In this last positionot' the shaft the pin L passes under the stop U, and the entering end ofthe shaft being inserted in the aperture F', said shaft and pin are atonce ready for action. It is only necessary to reverse this operationwhen it is desired to remove the gravitating shaft andv pin from thedraw-head.

Among the numerous advantages which my coupling possesses over those nowin use the following may be enumerated: First, its perfeet safety, therebeing no necessity for a person to pass between the cars, as they can beuncoupled either by the rope W or the handleV of the crank; second, itsreliability, the cars always coupling themselves the moment they come ncontact with one another, and no amount of vjolting or vibration canpossibly disconnect them; third, its adaptability, as my link and pincan be inserted in any ot' the approved forms of draw-heads, or eitherthe link or pin may be used in connection with the common link or pin.It can also be used on cars where the draw-heads are placed at differentheights, equally as well as when they are in line.

I claim herein as new and of my invention- 1. The combination of thegravitating-pin L and projection N, with its accessories, for thepurpose of dividing the strain which is brought to bear on the draw-headA by the link J, all arranged and operating substantially as set forth.

2. The stops U and V, or their equivalents, for the purpose explained.

3. .The provision, in a draw-head, ot' the verticalslots ef and g 7L',for the transposition of the link J and gravitating-pin L, in the mannerdescribed.

4. The vertical abutments S and T, for the purpose of preventing theshaft I ot' the link J from being sprung out of line, also serving as abearing for the same, in the manner described and set forth.

In testimony ot' which invention I hereunto set my hand.

O. C. BURNS.

lVitnesses:

GEO. FILLING, l J. S. Sconnv.

